RISE: Navy promises full probe; London driver ID'd; Jihadis in Mali

Monday

Jun 19, 2017 at 7:00 AM

Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley says the Navy is deeply saddened and promised a full investigation into a collision between a destroyer and a container ship off Japan that killed seven sailors.

wire reports

US Navy chief promises full probe of collision

YOKOSUKA, Japan — Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley says the Navy is deeply saddened and promised a full investigation into a collision between a destroyer and a container ship off Japan that killed seven sailors.

He said in a statement that "we are all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our fellow shipmates."

He also praised their colleagues for saving the USS Fitzgerald from further damage and bringing it back to port. The incident happened early Saturday morning as many of the crew slept.

Stackley promised to "fully investigate" the cause of the collision.

Driver in London crash ID'd as 48-year-old man

LONDON — Police say the driver of a van that hit pedestrians on a London road is a 48-year-old man who has been arrested and taken to a hospital.

The van struck a crowd of worshippers leaving a mosque early Monday morning, killing one person and injuring several others. Eight of the injured were taken to hospitals and the rest were treated at the scene.

Several hundred worshippers would have been in the area at the time after attending prayers as part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Police said the Counter Terrorism Command was investigating the crash. Britain's terrorist alert has been set at "severe" meaning an attack is highly likely.

Trump attorney says president not under investigation

WASHINGTON — A member of the president's outside legal team said Sunday that Donald Trump is not under federal investigation, days after Trump appeared to confirm he was with a tweet about being the target of a "witch hunt."

Appearing on a series of morning news programs, attorney Jay Sekulow repeatedly stressed that "the president has not been and is not under investigation." He said a Friday tweet from Trump was specifically directed at a story in The Washington Post about the expanding probe into Russia's election meddling.

As evidence, Sekulow said that Trump has not been notified of any investigation. He also cited the testimony from former FBI Director James Comey before the Senate intelligence committee, in which Comey said he had told Trump he was not under investigation in the months leading up to his May 9 firing.

Asked about the possibility that an investigation has since developed and the president just does not know, Sekulow said: "I can't read people's minds, but I can tell you this, we have not been notified that there's an investigation to the president of the United States. So that — nothing has changed in that regard since James Comey's testimony."

Pentagon: US shoots down Syrian aircraft for first time

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Sunday shot down a Syrian Air Force fighter jet that bombed local forces aligned with the Americans in the fight against Islamic State militants, an action that appeared to mark a new escalation of the conflict.

The U.S. had not shot down a Syrian regime aircraft before Sunday's confrontation, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. While the U.S. has said since it began recruiting, training and advising what it calls moderate Syrian opposition forces to fight IS that it would protect them from potential Syrian government retribution, this was the first time it resorted to engaging in air-to-air combat to make good on that promise.

The U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Iraq said in a written statement that a U.S. F-18 Super Hornet shot down a Syrian government SU-22 after it dropped bombs near the U.S. partner forces, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Gunmen attack resort in Mali's capital, killing 2

BAMAKO, Mali — Jihadis attacked a hotel resort Sunday in Mali's capital, taking hostages at a spot popular with foreigners on the weekends. More than 30 people managed to escape though at least two people were killed, authorities said.

Moussa Ag Infahi, director of the national police, told The Associated Press that three of the assailants had been killed while a fourth escaped.

Gunfire first rang out at the Campement Kangaba on the outskirts of Bamako in the late afternoon, according to a security guard who was working at the time.

Mahamadou Doumbia said a militant on a motorcycle entered the area around 3:40 p.m. and cried "Allah Akbar" before jumping off and running toward the pool area.

"Then a car with three jihadis entered the resort and they started to fire their weapons," he said. "A French soldier who had come for the weekend but had his gun shot and wounded" a jihadi.